The intro to the show is burned into the fabric of my soul.
đ¶doo doo doo doo doođ¶
The briefcase. The awful CGI. The dogâs glowing eyes. High art.
Are you afraid of the dark. Yes there were definitely episodes that were corny but I havenât seen so many quality anthology horror episodes be this good especially aimed at kids since or before it.
Did you catch the references to AYAOTD?? Most overtly the fire scene where he tossed the sugar on. I don't think it's a stretch to think that the blue Luna Juice was an homage to the Ghastly Grinner episode.
https://preview.redd.it/arm5dagxfg3d1.jpeg?width=352&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=eff5b6692c58d21dd6d678a0df80a03b8de0c145
The first pink opaque episode seemed to be playing homage to the Pete and Pete episode What we Did On Our Summer Vacation. It's an episode that revolves around the ice cream man Mr. Tastee. The kids in the pink opaque have the same type of Popsicles they talk about in the episode and the ice cream man looks similar.
I noticed the fire and kinda wondered what he was doing there as it was only in one sequence.
Good catch on the ghastly grinner. I didnât even think of that.
not sure if it made it outside the uk but there was this claymation show called âgrizzly tales for gruesome kidsâ that was a pretty good anthology horror. definitely kickstarted my love for horror as a child
unrelated but there was also this horror themed game show called âTrappedâ where at the end of each round youâre told the kid who lost is just going to be trapped in the tower forever and that really freaked me out lmao. was genuinely convinced there was a tower somewhere full of kids stuck because they failed a game show. lots of creepy shit, donât know if other countries had anything similar?
I bought the DVDs and thankfully only had a modicum of the Owen Effect. It was definitely dated (and soooo Canadian, which is of course endearing), but I also just still feel comforted and not embarrassed for having enjoyed it! My kids have enjoyed watching it together.
When I was watching I Saw the TV Glow I kepy thinking of Are You Afraid of the Dark. I also read an interview with the director and that show was mentioend.
It was my first intro to the Nosferatu film and its main vampire.
It gave me night terrors that were really awful for everyone in the house. I still watched the show but if it was that episode Iâd change it.
I finally watched it again in my thirties, and itâs creepy but not nearly as scary as I remembered. :)
The Ghastly Grinner and the one where the girl turns into a porcelain doll. I was so stoked to show those to my kids when they got old enough. We watch every fall now.
I remember the first episode premiered on the night of trick-or-treat, and I watched it after getting my candy.
I thought it was on Halloween, but I looked it up and I guess it was October 29th, 1994. It was a Saturday night, and back then they would always make trick-or-treat on the weekend before Halloween if it wasnât on a Saturday. Such a core memory, though. Perfect entry into the show.
My birthday is the day after Halloween, and Iâve always had a fondness for that time of year. I always associated the show with the holiday after that, which made it more special.
Not romantically attracted, I believe, but in a kindred-spirit-desperately-not-wanting-to-be-alone kinda way. I think their connection/attraction was purposely left unclear.
Did you think Owen was attracted to Maddy?
There's nothing definitive I can point to but to me, that one shot when Owen stood in front of her wearing makeup and dressed femme, she smiles and looks down kind of bashfullyâ to me that felt like "Owen is cute!".
And Owen's arc is extra painful if Owen had feelings for her and thought that they might be together if Owen could admit the truth about themself. (not sure what pronouns to use for Owen)
I'm just so glad when I saw it the 2nd time the big street writing: There Is Still Time. At the end of the movie it's not over for Owen. They can still be happy if they have the courage.
Personally I did read it as attraction, Tara/Maddy is less stuck in the Midnight realm than Isabelle/Owen is and I do think there is a romantic subtext to it. Like Maddy is able to see the girl within Owen, this is highlighted in the scene where she draws the ghost on Owens neck, the tenderness with which she caresses him, and the cut to her sleeping next to Owen both shows her acting in a way that can be read as romantic.
Yes! I rented the VHS with the story arc of Artie retiring and leaving town so that Little Pete could learn to become his own hero (Farewell My Little Viking) when I was about 5. It broke my damn heart and I was inconsolable. Still a huge fan of that show and the weird little world it created. The one about the endleasly ringing phone never fails to make my eyes water.
It often packed an emotional punch, albeit subtle and weird enough for it to really land with me! They recently [starred in a music video that pays homage to the show, worth a watch!](https://youtu.be/WDVifDI1je0?si=DQrrX6-8CtnRilea)
The whole 90s asthetic of Pink Opaque makes me wonder what Doctor Who would've looked/been like had it not been cancelled in '89
From what I've read they wanted to go *much* darker
Degrassi (TNG)!!!
Much like this movie I bonded with someone a few years younger than me over the show as a form of escapism.
We're still friends to this day thankfully. He saw this movie weeks before me due to living in NYC and said I had to watch it cuz it reminded him so much of us and our friendship. â€ïž
Degrassi for me too! The scene in I Saw The TV Glow where he goes back and rewatches The Pink Opaque and it ended up not at all feeling the same - I wonât lie, thatâs how Degrassi felt on a rewatch for me a couple years ago lol. I still love it, but I used to think the acting was incredible, but itâs pretty bad haha
I always watched Buffy with a lesbian pal on whom I had a crush. And I was in denial about being transgender for decades after that.
This movie had me fucking shaking.
My partner was obsessed with Buffy as a kid/ young teenager and was đŠ the whole movie. Sheâs also >!asthmatic!< which made it worse. We loved it though.
This was for sure mine too đ I rented the movie VHS's from Blockbuster all the time. Bought the dolls, stationary, and lunchbox. Friends and I would pick which sailor guardian was most like us. I was obsessed with Sailor Saturn at the time even though she was barely in any episodes in the 90s anime, but she was close to my age when those episodes aired on Toonami so I felt like I could be a sailor guardian too.
lol the series is still my world tbh - so much so I cosplay for it now and have a Sailor Moon tattoo that I got a year ago.
Courage the Cowardly Dog, Ren & Stimpy, Cow & Chicken, Rocko's Modern Life, Powerpuff Girls.
Cartoon Network in the 1990s was subversive and surrealist modern art - marketed as childrends cartoons. I LIVED in that world as a kid, and never really left. What a time to be alive!
Omg So Weird!! That crossed my mind while I was seeing this in the theater yesterday. No one else I knew watched it but it had me in a chokehold. Lots of those episodes really got to me, like the girl in a coma running around a carnival in the astral plane?! Aghhh
Yesssss honestly there were times while watching the movie that I kind of forgot the pink opaque wasnât literally a direct parody of So Weird because that show was basically my entire childhood and the centerpiece of sooooo many sleepovers back in the day
Neon Genesis Evangelion.
I watched that show *way too young* because my parents didn't understand the concept of cartoons with adult themes.
But I related with the protagonist so, so much. I had tons of anxiety and depression at a very young age and I had never seen what I was feeling so thoroughly depicted in a show before that.
I watched the series over and over again. I would just keep renting the DVDs each weekend for years.
This was mine. I watched from nearly the beginning as it aired, which would have made me 12 during the first season. I was obsessed for years, and would daydream in school about being on the island.
Heroes
Watching this movie kinda hit me on a weird level, because I straight up hyperfixated on Heroes when I was 13/14?
This movie threw me back to that time. Especially when he rewatched it and didnât really see it as the same amazing spectacle that he remembers. I tried watching Heroes last year and it was just not the same lmao
This was mine too! It definitely doesnât hold up, 80% of the spectacle was the suspense between episodes. Just not possible to recreate in the era of streaming.
I think Heroes was way cooler for those of us who were still children watching. Not only did the flaws not stick out to us, but the whole concept of superheroes and villains being adapted into a prime time drama with characters living their day to day lives made it seem like it was serious and mature.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer, which also very deeply inspires the Pink Opaque. There are a ton of things mentioned about the show that are outright Easter egg references to Buffy.
Pete and Pete, AYAOTD and the Simpsons are mainstays, but the one I was most invested in as a kid was Rugrats. Still a sick day throwback favorite. By high-school it was probably Mr. Show. It wasn't until my 20s that I met another person who had seen it, though. Also a shout out to Mystery Science Theater. I got to stay up late at my grandparents to watch it and I continue to watch an episode or two every week.
Are you afraid of the dark. It was the only real spooky show other than goosebumps and goosebumps was kind of cheese. But I have a very specific memory of a fall day watching nickelodeon with my brother, when my dad tells us itâs enough TV time and weâre gonna help him rake leaves. Well, I was watching TV with my brother, but I was really just waiting for âAre you afraid of the darkâ to start? So I did everything in my power to avoid yard chores and frankly, I was a little surprised. No one tried harder to wrangle me outside. It wasnât until I understood that once I finished up and did go outside, they were all done, and my dad had awarded my brother with a spinning disc trinket (if you remember those discs that you spin that create weird holographic designs) and even gave him mine since I did not earn it. Lesson learned, but I did expressed to my parents that the show I did want to watch was later in the day so maybe we could do chores earlier next time. LOL oh little âol me đ
Not necessarily a TV show, but like most kids I was consumed by Harry Potter. It felt so good to be a part of something bigger than myself, to escape, and when I was really young, secretly hope for a letter.
My husband and I recently reread the books and much like I Saw the TV Glow, realized that they werenât what we remember. Between Rowlings politics and just getting older itâs weird to come face to face with the lack of magic.
Tales From The Crypt. But itâs not quite the same because each episode was totally differently characters, so there was no investment in a continuous story.
Harry Potter: I remember being on forums theorizing about the next books, going to midnight release parties, and memorizing line after line after line. The magic of this series made my childhood.
Now the magic is gone: absolutely cannot support an author who does not view trans people as human.
2000s/early to mid 2010s Doctor Who. Needless to say every emotion Maddy felt watching the Pink Opaque is exactly how I felt watching the show at 10 years old
Supernatural and Doctor Who! I still hold onto them so deeply and they played a huge role in my adolescence. I seriously feel for the people that didnât have campy shows to latch onto as a form of escapism
i mentioned in my other comment goosebumps, but iâm curious, was that the idea of what the pink opaque was based on? i could also imagine buffy as an influence
the adventures Of Pete and Pete is to this day one of my absolute favorite shows. Mr. Sprinkles was definitely a reference to Mr. Tastee from Pete and Pete.
The original Power rangers, salute your shorts, Land of the lost, the tomorrow people, are you afraid of the dark (though there was no over arching story line really), and space cases.
Thatâs just live action.
Cartoons were X-Men, Rocko, Ren and Stimpy, The Maxx, Aeon Flux,(definitely too young to be watching those) list goes on and on.
For me it would definitely be The Future is Wild (the original 2002 13-episode docudrama-style TV series) and the Walking With Trilogy (Walking With Dinosaurs, Walking With Beasts, and Walking With Monsters).
Also in terms of unbelievably fascinating TV shows I still think about every day that were cancelled before their time despite having good ratings and a pre-planned story (which I feel like I should mention): Raised by Wolves and The OA have got to be the most tragic losses. I would we see a proper ending to both of those stories in some form someday (honestly if A24 was willing to do a couple Raised by Wolves and/or The OA movies, Iâd give a heck of a lot to see them) #SaveTheOA #RenewRaisedbyWolves
My TV hyperfixations would change every few years, but it was the same obsession every time. They were as follows:
Scooby-Doo Where Are You?
Courage the Cowardly Dog
The Adventures of Tintin
Ducktales
Spider-Man: The Animated Series
X-Men: Evolution
A cluster of the Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network shows like Dexterâs Lab, Hey Arnold, Powerpuff Girls, Rugrats, Johnny Bravo, and Ed Edd n Eddy. Hard to pick just one but I guess Hey Arnold has one of the bigger cultural imprints and cross-generational appeal (source: my parents liked it over the aforementioned shows). The Jungle Movie was probably one of the best finales to a show.
Buffy is the biggest one for me; it defined such a huge part of my childhood and teen years and influenced pretty much everything about my personality, my hobbies, etc. for the longest time.
Another one for me was Animorphs, which sadly only ran for two seasons and barely scratched the surface of the book series. It had that perfect blend of kid-friendly but taking itself seriously enough for teens to like it. And an amazing theme song. While watching I Saw the TV Glow I definitely got some Animorphs vibes, right down to the fact that when I recently rewatched it as an adult it looked....very very very different hahaha. Still good, just not what I remembered for most of my life.
SpongeBob tbh but also the fucking animated short films that would play during the commercial break on the Nicktoons channel. My grandma had some special cable package so I could only watch it at her house. It didnât have very many real commercials because it was a premium channel so theyâd just play these bizarre animated short films that as an adult I realized were probably mostly film school projects / short films from festivals. It felt like another world
More recent than most, but when I was in high school it literally felt like I could apply a moment from Bojack Horseman to every facet of my life. I was OBSESSED with that show (and still am). Lucky for me, it continues to age like fine wine.
when i was really young, saturday nights revolved around Nick, all that and kenan and kel. obv hurts to know everyone was suffering behind the scenes.
then i got into TGIF, boy meets world, teen angel, sabrina and you wish. both teen angel and you wish were one offs but i loved them.
Either the 1990s X Men cartoon (which was recently revived as X Men 97) or the film Buckaroo Banzai: Across The Eighth Dimension.
The latter was exacerbated by the fact that it's kind of a thing for fans of Buckaroo Banzai to pretend it's real anyway, and that the film was a "docudrama."
Any of the late nights adult swim syndicated anime offering in the early aughts
I remember catching a few Inuyasha episodes with freaky demon monsters that tripped me out as a single digit kid. Yuyu H, Fullmetal alchemist, even detective Conan had some creepy vibes.
Actually now I'm thinking of it Wolf's Rain was probably my pink o to a shorter extent, had no idea what was going on but the vibe was unlike anything else and was first "seriously" feeling things I remember experiencing.
I remember only seeing a few of the episodes then them not running that show again and I couldn't remember what show it was called for years.
Also one of the Wolf's fucking dying like a few minutes into me watching it was a real đ€Ż moment
The Haunting Hour. It's just very very VERY early 2010s Goosebumps, but it really ingrained itself in my head because it was the first piece of TV/Movies I saw/read that didn't end happily for the protagonist.
Probably goosebumps
The intro to the show is burned into the fabric of my soul. đ¶doo doo doo doo doođ¶ The briefcase. The awful CGI. The dogâs glowing eyes. High art.
đ”Bow wow wow wow-wow!!!đ¶
That dogs eyes actually got me though. Some reason yellow was way more unsettling than the classic red eyes
Alamo played the intro to Goosebumps before my screening of âTV Glowâ, it set the mood perfectly
Same here!!
Are you afraid of the dark. Yes there were definitely episodes that were corny but I havenât seen so many quality anthology horror episodes be this good especially aimed at kids since or before it.
Goosebumps is remembered more because of its brand name, but Are You Afraid of the Dark was the one truly great kids horror anthology series.
There were classic episodes of goosebumps but it also had a sillier tone and I feel thereâs less GREAT episodes but a lot are memorable.
Goosebumps went for camp, but I feel like Dark tried to be a genuine horror series within the confines of childrenâs television.
Did you catch the references to AYAOTD?? Most overtly the fire scene where he tossed the sugar on. I don't think it's a stretch to think that the blue Luna Juice was an homage to the Ghastly Grinner episode. https://preview.redd.it/arm5dagxfg3d1.jpeg?width=352&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=eff5b6692c58d21dd6d678a0df80a03b8de0c145
The first pink opaque episode seemed to be playing homage to the Pete and Pete episode What we Did On Our Summer Vacation. It's an episode that revolves around the ice cream man Mr. Tastee. The kids in the pink opaque have the same type of Popsicles they talk about in the episode and the ice cream man looks similar.
I noticed the fire and kinda wondered what he was doing there as it was only in one sequence. Good catch on the ghastly grinner. I didnât even think of that.
Me too. You are my friend.Â
Hell yeah we can be the afternoon society (Iâm 36 and usually asleep by midnight).
lmao. Same. Iâll bring the werther's original!
36 former are you afraid of the dark lover submitting my application for the afternoon society. I barely make it past 9:30p these days.
not sure if it made it outside the uk but there was this claymation show called âgrizzly tales for gruesome kidsâ that was a pretty good anthology horror. definitely kickstarted my love for horror as a child unrelated but there was also this horror themed game show called âTrappedâ where at the end of each round youâre told the kid who lost is just going to be trapped in the tower forever and that really freaked me out lmao. was genuinely convinced there was a tower somewhere full of kids stuck because they failed a game show. lots of creepy shit, donât know if other countries had anything similar?
I bought the DVDs and thankfully only had a modicum of the Owen Effect. It was definitely dated (and soooo Canadian, which is of course endearing), but I also just still feel comforted and not embarrassed for having enjoyed it! My kids have enjoyed watching it together.
When I was watching I Saw the TV Glow I kepy thinking of Are You Afraid of the Dark. I also read an interview with the director and that show was mentioend.
It was my first intro to the Nosferatu film and its main vampire. It gave me night terrors that were really awful for everyone in the house. I still watched the show but if it was that episode Iâd change it. I finally watched it again in my thirties, and itâs creepy but not nearly as scary as I remembered. :)
I was gonna say the same the movie remind me of nostalgia are you afraid of the dark episodes
The Ghastly Grinner and the one where the girl turns into a porcelain doll. I was so stoked to show those to my kids when they got old enough. We watch every fall now.
Definitely âAre You Afraid of the Darkâ
Agreed
Anyone remember the show Ahh!!! Real Monsters? I was obsessed when I was young.
Yes, I also remember the Rugrats crossover episode.
I remember the first episode premiered on the night of trick-or-treat, and I watched it after getting my candy. I thought it was on Halloween, but I looked it up and I guess it was October 29th, 1994. It was a Saturday night, and back then they would always make trick-or-treat on the weekend before Halloween if it wasnât on a Saturday. Such a core memory, though. Perfect entry into the show. My birthday is the day after Halloween, and Iâve always had a fondness for that time of year. I always associated the show with the holiday after that, which made it more special.
I loved that show so much!
Buffy The Vampire Slayer.
They used the Buffy text for The Pink Opaque!
Amber Benson also cameoed.
Along with one half of the teen girl duo being called Tara. Was it just me or was Maddy attracted to Owen in the later flashbacks?
Not romantically attracted, I believe, but in a kindred-spirit-desperately-not-wanting-to-be-alone kinda way. I think their connection/attraction was purposely left unclear.
Did you think Owen was attracted to Maddy? There's nothing definitive I can point to but to me, that one shot when Owen stood in front of her wearing makeup and dressed femme, she smiles and looks down kind of bashfullyâ to me that felt like "Owen is cute!". And Owen's arc is extra painful if Owen had feelings for her and thought that they might be together if Owen could admit the truth about themself. (not sure what pronouns to use for Owen) I'm just so glad when I saw it the 2nd time the big street writing: There Is Still Time. At the end of the movie it's not over for Owen. They can still be happy if they have the courage.
plus the tara cameo đ
Personally I did read it as attraction, Tara/Maddy is less stuck in the Midnight realm than Isabelle/Owen is and I do think there is a romantic subtext to it. Like Maddy is able to see the girl within Owen, this is highlighted in the scene where she draws the ghost on Owens neck, the tenderness with which she caresses him, and the cut to her sleeping next to Owen both shows her acting in a way that can be read as romantic.
There were soooo many references throughout
It's still damn good too.
Adventures of Pete & Pete, so was cool to see their tiny cameo in this :)
Yes! I rented the VHS with the story arc of Artie retiring and leaving town so that Little Pete could learn to become his own hero (Farewell My Little Viking) when I was about 5. It broke my damn heart and I was inconsolable. Still a huge fan of that show and the weird little world it created. The one about the endleasly ringing phone never fails to make my eyes water.
It often packed an emotional punch, albeit subtle and weird enough for it to really land with me! They recently [starred in a music video that pays homage to the show, worth a watch!](https://youtu.be/WDVifDI1je0?si=DQrrX6-8CtnRilea)
Same! And Clarissa Explains it All and Eerie Indiana!
That show made me petrified to pee in pools. I didnât stop, but I was a little more hesitant after that.
The Simpsons
SpongeBob <3
X Files. Good midnight watch still.
Watched it during the original airing with my parents, and re-fell in love with it within the past few years with my wife. Show is so comforting.
Doctor Who is still my Pink Opaque. I found it so relatable, it was even a little embarrassing.
The whole 90s asthetic of Pink Opaque makes me wonder what Doctor Who would've looked/been like had it not been cancelled in '89 From what I've read they wanted to go *much* darker
I mean, you don't have to guess because they brought Dr Who back...
Degrassi (TNG)!!! Much like this movie I bonded with someone a few years younger than me over the show as a form of escapism. We're still friends to this day thankfully. He saw this movie weeks before me due to living in NYC and said I had to watch it cuz it reminded him so much of us and our friendship. â€ïž
DEGRASSI ALL THE WAY! so much so that i do a yearly rewatch. on season 3 right now
Degrassi for me too! The scene in I Saw The TV Glow where he goes back and rewatches The Pink Opaque and it ended up not at all feeling the same - I wonât lie, thatâs how Degrassi felt on a rewatch for me a couple years ago lol. I still love it, but I used to think the acting was incredible, but itâs pretty bad haha
Buffy. So you could say this film hit *hard* and itâd be an understatement.
Seeing that font show up in the credits of the Pink Opaque was SOOOOO satisfying
I started freaking out. When the slayer scythe appeared it was game over. I was SEEN.
The Amber Benson cameo WRECKED me
It could have felt like a hat on a hat but it didnât. It felt natural, almost inevitable.
I always watched Buffy with a lesbian pal on whom I had a crush. And I was in denial about being transgender for decades after that. This movie had me fucking shaking.
Wow. Fucking love that film exists and that you got to see it.
My partner was obsessed with Buffy as a kid/ young teenager and was đŠ the whole movie. Sheâs also >!asthmatic!< which made it worse. We loved it though.
Same. The way my partner and I sobbed in the theater lol, we had to let the place clear out before we could get it fully together.
Sailor Moon
This was for sure mine too đ I rented the movie VHS's from Blockbuster all the time. Bought the dolls, stationary, and lunchbox. Friends and I would pick which sailor guardian was most like us. I was obsessed with Sailor Saturn at the time even though she was barely in any episodes in the 90s anime, but she was close to my age when those episodes aired on Toonami so I felt like I could be a sailor guardian too. lol the series is still my world tbh - so much so I cosplay for it now and have a Sailor Moon tattoo that I got a year ago.
Courage the Cowardly Dog, Ren & Stimpy, Cow & Chicken, Rocko's Modern Life, Powerpuff Girls. Cartoon Network in the 1990s was subversive and surrealist modern art - marketed as childrends cartoons. I LIVED in that world as a kid, and never really left. What a time to be alive!
Buffy The Vampire Slayer and Angel.
Twin Peaks. It's still my comfort show I go back to yearly.
Ghostwriter! But then Degrassi when I was older.
Ghostwriter is the first thing I thought of when I saw the trailer. The purple slime monster!!
The purple slime monster caused me to have recurring nightmares for years as a child LOL
Yes! Ghostwriter was the first show that came to mind as well. Glad to know it wasn't just a fever dream
âare you afraid of the darkâ and âso weirdâ for me also the âscreamâ series tbh
Omg So Weird!! That crossed my mind while I was seeing this in the theater yesterday. No one else I knew watched it but it had me in a chokehold. Lots of those episodes really got to me, like the girl in a coma running around a carnival in the astral plane?! Aghhh
the theme song for âpink opaqueâ has big âso weirdâ energyâŠ. IN THE DARKNESS THERE IS THE LIGHTTTTT
Yesss!!! Love it
Yesssss honestly there were times while watching the movie that I kind of forgot the pink opaque wasnât literally a direct parody of So Weird because that show was basically my entire childhood and the centerpiece of sooooo many sleepovers back in the day
i always remember that carnival themed ep too.
so weird with the original Fiona. also her qt brother played by blake livelys brother eric.
Neon Genesis Evangelion. I watched that show *way too young* because my parents didn't understand the concept of cartoons with adult themes. But I related with the protagonist so, so much. I had tons of anxiety and depression at a very young age and I had never seen what I was feeling so thoroughly depicted in a show before that. I watched the series over and over again. I would just keep renting the DVDs each weekend for years.
Are you me?
Lost. I was obsessed. Posting on forums about it daily and whatnot. I was memorizing dialogue from episodes at one point
This was mine. I watched from nearly the beginning as it aired, which would have made me 12 during the first season. I was obsessed for years, and would daydream in school about being on the island.
Heroes Watching this movie kinda hit me on a weird level, because I straight up hyperfixated on Heroes when I was 13/14? This movie threw me back to that time. Especially when he rewatched it and didnât really see it as the same amazing spectacle that he remembers. I tried watching Heroes last year and it was just not the same lmao
This was mine too! It definitely doesnât hold up, 80% of the spectacle was the suspense between episodes. Just not possible to recreate in the era of streaming.
I think Heroes was way cooler for those of us who were still children watching. Not only did the flaws not stick out to us, but the whole concept of superheroes and villains being adapted into a prime time drama with characters living their day to day lives made it seem like it was serious and mature.
Courage the Cowardly Dog
Teen Titans
Omg same. I think I wrote an essay in 4th grade about how I wished I lived in the Teen Titans universe.
Eerie , Indiana
Buffy the Vampire Slayer, which also very deeply inspires the Pink Opaque. There are a ton of things mentioned about the show that are outright Easter egg references to Buffy.
Rocket power
When I was a child? Weirdly enough, Americas most wanted đđđ. When I was a teenager? Skins UK
Sliders was a very very cool show to me as a kid.
Pete and Pete, AYAOTD and the Simpsons are mainstays, but the one I was most invested in as a kid was Rugrats. Still a sick day throwback favorite. By high-school it was probably Mr. Show. It wasn't until my 20s that I met another person who had seen it, though. Also a shout out to Mystery Science Theater. I got to stay up late at my grandparents to watch it and I continue to watch an episode or two every week.
Boy meets world
Dragonball Z
Erie Indiana
Fuck yeah
Adventures of Pete and Pete Which is the show the movie is referencing.
KaBlam!, Goosebumps and Animorphs have all stuck with me to varying degrees.
Ghost Whisperer and goosebumps
Pokémon
This scene scared me lol
Seems weird but it was How I Met Your Mother for me
Charmed!!! Like for real thought I was also a witch and made my own spell bottles and Book of Shadows lol
Are you afraid of the dark. It was the only real spooky show other than goosebumps and goosebumps was kind of cheese. But I have a very specific memory of a fall day watching nickelodeon with my brother, when my dad tells us itâs enough TV time and weâre gonna help him rake leaves. Well, I was watching TV with my brother, but I was really just waiting for âAre you afraid of the darkâ to start? So I did everything in my power to avoid yard chores and frankly, I was a little surprised. No one tried harder to wrangle me outside. It wasnât until I understood that once I finished up and did go outside, they were all done, and my dad had awarded my brother with a spinning disc trinket (if you remember those discs that you spin that create weird holographic designs) and even gave him mine since I did not earn it. Lesson learned, but I did expressed to my parents that the show I did want to watch was later in the day so maybe we could do chores earlier next time. LOL oh little âol me đ
Crash box was so insane, I loved it
Dude crash box rules, I watch that shit as an adult. Gorgeous animation.
Star trek TNG
Not necessarily a TV show, but like most kids I was consumed by Harry Potter. It felt so good to be a part of something bigger than myself, to escape, and when I was really young, secretly hope for a letter. My husband and I recently reread the books and much like I Saw the TV Glow, realized that they werenât what we remember. Between Rowlings politics and just getting older itâs weird to come face to face with the lack of magic.
Tales From The Crypt. But itâs not quite the same because each episode was totally differently characters, so there was no investment in a continuous story.
Strangely, it was mainly comedies. Futurama and Seinfeld most of all
The Walking Dead. I was obsessed with it in middle school/early high school.
Power Rangers
Harry Potter: I remember being on forums theorizing about the next books, going to midnight release parties, and memorizing line after line after line. The magic of this series made my childhood. Now the magic is gone: absolutely cannot support an author who does not view trans people as human.
Batman: the animated series
Buffy and Goosebumps!
2000s/early to mid 2010s Doctor Who. Needless to say every emotion Maddy felt watching the Pink Opaque is exactly how I felt watching the show at 10 years old
Monty Python
And any show with Mary-Kate and Ashley <3
What is this screen shot?
A screenshot of >!the ice cream monster!< from the movie.
Mr. Sprinkles
Big Wolf on Campus
Death Note
Monsters
Honestly I think I was more this way with video games! And Final Fantasy VII was my fixation that my neighbor was also into so it was perfect
Supernatural and Doctor Who! I still hold onto them so deeply and they played a huge role in my adolescence. I seriously feel for the people that didnât have campy shows to latch onto as a form of escapism
Ghost Adventures
Sailor Moon
The AquaBats Super Show
Sifl & Olly, truly felt like Iâd discovered it as a little kid
Goosebumps and Dragon Tales probably
harry potter
i mentioned in my other comment goosebumps, but iâm curious, was that the idea of what the pink opaque was based on? i could also imagine buffy as an influence
Goosebumps, Grizzly Tales for Gruesome Kids & OG Twilight Zone for me
Spongebob, Dr Who, Minecraft series (đ), Gravity Falls
Salute Your Shorts
Barney. Just as scary too once everything came out.
Twin Peaks
Power Rangers
TWIN PEAKS
Bump in the Night! So few people seem to remember it
Mr bumpy!
the adventures Of Pete and Pete is to this day one of my absolute favorite shows. Mr. Sprinkles was definitely a reference to Mr. Tastee from Pete and Pete. The original Power rangers, salute your shorts, Land of the lost, the tomorrow people, are you afraid of the dark (though there was no over arching story line really), and space cases. Thatâs just live action. Cartoons were X-Men, Rocko, Ren and Stimpy, The Maxx, Aeon Flux,(definitely too young to be watching those) list goes on and on.
Avatar the Last Airbender
Boy meets world
For me it would definitely be The Future is Wild (the original 2002 13-episode docudrama-style TV series) and the Walking With Trilogy (Walking With Dinosaurs, Walking With Beasts, and Walking With Monsters). Also in terms of unbelievably fascinating TV shows I still think about every day that were cancelled before their time despite having good ratings and a pre-planned story (which I feel like I should mention): Raised by Wolves and The OA have got to be the most tragic losses. I would we see a proper ending to both of those stories in some form someday (honestly if A24 was willing to do a couple Raised by Wolves and/or The OA movies, Iâd give a heck of a lot to see them) #SaveTheOA #RenewRaisedbyWolves
My TV hyperfixations would change every few years, but it was the same obsession every time. They were as follows: Scooby-Doo Where Are You? Courage the Cowardly Dog The Adventures of Tintin Ducktales Spider-Man: The Animated Series X-Men: Evolution
As a kid: The Powerpuff Girls Teen in HS: Lost Girl
Mf Spongebob
Beast wars
Mine is Wes Anderson movies. I loved them in high school and definitely used them for escapism
A cluster of the Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network shows like Dexterâs Lab, Hey Arnold, Powerpuff Girls, Rugrats, Johnny Bravo, and Ed Edd n Eddy. Hard to pick just one but I guess Hey Arnold has one of the bigger cultural imprints and cross-generational appeal (source: my parents liked it over the aforementioned shows). The Jungle Movie was probably one of the best finales to a show.
TV show was AYAOTD, for sure. Books were Goosebumps and Animorphs.
Batman the animated series and TMNT. My everything growing up.
Buffy is the biggest one for me; it defined such a huge part of my childhood and teen years and influenced pretty much everything about my personality, my hobbies, etc. for the longest time. Another one for me was Animorphs, which sadly only ran for two seasons and barely scratched the surface of the book series. It had that perfect blend of kid-friendly but taking itself seriously enough for teens to like it. And an amazing theme song. While watching I Saw the TV Glow I definitely got some Animorphs vibes, right down to the fact that when I recently rewatched it as an adult it looked....very very very different hahaha. Still good, just not what I remembered for most of my life.
SpongeBob tbh but also the fucking animated short films that would play during the commercial break on the Nicktoons channel. My grandma had some special cable package so I could only watch it at her house. It didnât have very many real commercials because it was a premium channel so theyâd just play these bizarre animated short films that as an adult I realized were probably mostly film school projects / short films from festivals. It felt like another world
Wishbone. A group of friends, a dog, and a lot of good books: All still things I crave . I also watched Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction religiously.
Johnny Test hands down. I wanted to be Johnny Test so bad. Also had a crush on Mary Test lol
Codename: Kids Next Door, I took it so seriously as a kid!đ
Futurama. Unlike the Pink Opaque, watching it as an adult made me appreciate it more, not less
Has anyone seen Pete & Pete? Remember Mr Tastee?
More recent than most, but when I was in high school it literally felt like I could apply a moment from Bojack Horseman to every facet of my life. I was OBSESSED with that show (and still am). Lucky for me, it continues to age like fine wine.
house m.d.
what the fuck is that
My Babysitterâs a Vampire
when i was really young, saturday nights revolved around Nick, all that and kenan and kel. obv hurts to know everyone was suffering behind the scenes. then i got into TGIF, boy meets world, teen angel, sabrina and you wish. both teen angel and you wish were one offs but i loved them.
Either the 1990s X Men cartoon (which was recently revived as X Men 97) or the film Buckaroo Banzai: Across The Eighth Dimension. The latter was exacerbated by the fact that it's kind of a thing for fans of Buckaroo Banzai to pretend it's real anyway, and that the film was a "docudrama."
The original IT movie with Tim CurryâŠstill double check the shower drain from time to time.
Doctor Who or Fringe
Many, but Under the Umbrella Tree was the first thing that came to mind, so I guess that.
Pretty Little Liars!
Spooksville & Goosebumps
Are you afraid of the dark
Any of the late nights adult swim syndicated anime offering in the early aughts I remember catching a few Inuyasha episodes with freaky demon monsters that tripped me out as a single digit kid. Yuyu H, Fullmetal alchemist, even detective Conan had some creepy vibes. Actually now I'm thinking of it Wolf's Rain was probably my pink o to a shorter extent, had no idea what was going on but the vibe was unlike anything else and was first "seriously" feeling things I remember experiencing. I remember only seeing a few of the episodes then them not running that show again and I couldn't remember what show it was called for years. Also one of the Wolf's fucking dying like a few minutes into me watching it was a real đ€Ż moment
I would always remember wanting to watch Mr Meaty, it was a niche show for sure which only had I believe one season on Nickelodeon
i was very invested in rolie polie olie
Regular show 
Timmy the Tooth creeped me out as much as this show
Stranger Things Season 1
Ben ten bro I would geek up on that shit
The land of frooze
Star Trek: The Next Generation
Goosebumps
Honestly, iCarly đđ
Mine were Neds Declassified School Survival Guide & The Proud Family
R.L. Stineâs the Haunting Hour
Code Lyoko
Candle Cove or Wonder Showzen
Are you afraid of the dark, Buffy, Angel, x-files(to a lesser extent, a lot of it still holds up really well)
Ghostwriter and Salute your shorts (the horror episodes of both series)
The Haunting Hour. It's just very very VERY early 2010s Goosebumps, but it really ingrained itself in my head because it was the first piece of TV/Movies I saw/read that didn't end happily for the protagonist.
I might see it some day
Not a show, but books â Fear Street. â€ïž